Equine Accupuncture

Most of us know about acupuncture. However many people are probably oblivious to the fact that acupuncture is also used on animals. Equine acupuncture is a method where this particular treatment is used to cure horses.

There seems to be some confusion over the origins of this unique method. Some people consider China to be the birthplace of equine acupuncture while others consider it to be Tibet. The thing that must be kept in mind is that this treatment was one that came about 3000 – 4000 years before ordered western medicine came into use.

Equine acupuncture gained global popularity during this time since the horse was a significant animal and was used for war and for transportation. However there are still those who think negatively of acupuncture considering it to be ineffective and somewhat primitive. This is indeed a misconception. Good results gained through use of equine acupuncture on horses suffering from varying health problems and acupuncture being effective on people suffering from arthritis has lead to its widespread acceptance.

Some people might be amazed to know that equine acupuncture is widely used in the case of performance horses and veterinary acupuncturists have accompanied several Olympic teams during games. As well as treating clinical conditions the method is also used to bring horses to the optimal physical state before competitions. The fact that it’s not necessary to use drugs in equine acupuncture is a huge advantage since horses that are given drugs could be disqualified from competitions.

Some people have are of the notion that acupuncture is painful. This is not so in most cases. People might get a numb or a ‘warm’ kind of feeling at most Even in the case of horses in equine acupuncture since the needles used are very thin, being only about 0.18 – 0.25 millimeters in width it’s unlikely that there is going to be any pain.

If you do intend to have equine acupuncture done on a horse that you might own make sure that the veterinarian you hire is qualified for the job. Certification on this regard is issued by 2 bodies and you might be able to find online the veterinarian working nearest your house who is competent at equine acupuncture.

It must be kept in mind however that equine acupunture is a treatment that tends to be somewhat costly. The treatment is however both unique and effective though it may not be conventional.